Betty Gabriel

Betty Gabriel’s story isn’t your typical Hollywood origin. She popped up in D.C., but bounced between Pittsburgh and Hyattsville, Maryland as a kid. Kind of a classic “grew up all over the place” situation. Honestly, her first act had nothing to do with acting—she actually snagged a degree in Animal Science/Pre-Vet from Iowa State. Wild shift, right? Instead of heading off to play with puppies or poke at cows, she said, “Nope, let’s dance,” and trucked on over to Chicago. That’s where things really took a turn. Chicago’s not exactly the easiest city to break into the performing arts scene, but Betty just dove in. She didn’t stick to one lane either—modern dance, acting, whatever got her on stage. She hit up some serious theaters too: Steppenwolf and Victory Gardens. If you know, you know—those places aren’t messing around. She was grinding, performing, just out there hustling on the regular. But here’s the thing: she wasn’t done learning. Some folks would’ve just kept dancing and acting, coasting on that local rep. Not Betty. She decided to level up and got herself into The Juilliard School. Yeah, THE Juilliard. You don’t just walk into that place. That’s like the Hogwarts for performing artists. Now she’s rocking that alumni status, with her roots in science, her heart in dance, and her craft fine-tuned by one of the best schools out there. Not your average career path, but hey, it’s working for her.